A holy hour is the practice of spending one hour’s time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, praying and meditating on the agony of Jesus Christ. More broadly, a holy hour can also refer to any 60 minutes set aside in prayer and reflection, whether in church or elsewhere.

The holy hour devotion dates to the late 17th century, when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received visions of Jesus Christ. In these visions, the Lord requested that St. Margaret Mary spend one hour every Thursday evening lying prostrate and meditating upon his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. This practice calls back to the Gospel of Matthew, which tells of Jesus’ desire for the disciples to “remain here and keep watch with me” (Mathew 26:38) as he awaited his passion.

Holy hours can be made privately or in community, and the USCCB has created a variety of different holy hour formats that can be found at usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/eucharistic-devotion.

©LPi